Tuesday, June 29, 2010

I can't help myself. I'm obsessed with planting tomatoes and with photography. This is the month that the collision of the two really begins. All of my tomatoes are taking shape and beginning to turn red.

I couldn't help myself today. A little heirloom photography with a Matt K Lightroom Preset. It just worked for me.

Our Sunday night family dinner grew with the addition of our neighbor and our dear friends. We had the garden table extended and covered as the temperature neared 103 degrees. Sweating through a meal from the garden in the garden just wasn't very appealing, so we brought dinner inside.

Shea and I spent most of the afternoon making tapas and sangria, a perfect warm weather meal. I gathered the meal from our garden and rounded up some of my favorite cookbooks. The menu consisted of

I find fault in all of them. Something is crooked. Exposure is off. Focus isn't tack sharp on the exact spot in the iris I think it should be. I see it in every photo. Somedays I find myself thinking, I don't want to take photos today because I'm not going to like what I take anyway. I don't hang them on my walls because I'll end up critiquing them.

And then there is the worry that if I show the world the less than perfect photo, somehow that will mark me as a hack. A wannabe. Someone with the means to buy the equipment, but not the knowledge to use it. And since, none of my photos are perfect, i guess that would mean I show you nothing.

I find myself longing for those days when I took pictures without knowing how it all happened or what an aperture or an ISO was. I long for those days where what I focused on most was the moment. The smiling face. The precious child in the frame.

I can look back on photos from a few years ago and definitely see how much I've learned since then. But those photos hold something for me. Just pure intention. The pure intention of documenting my life. Capturing that fleeting moment.

My childhood photos hold that pure intent too. I don't wish they were exposed differently or framed with less clutter. I feel comforted in knowing I have those bits and pieces of my life to look back on. That is enough. They don't need an action or a preset or an adjustment. They just need to be cherished.

I know these feelings will pass. It is a low in the roller coaster ride of photography. Some days there is passionate love and other days there is mere tolerance. I guess that is what makes the ride so fun!

So today. And from this day forward, I'm going to work on just loving my moments. However they land. Whatever they look like. Because they are my life. That is the important thing.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Greeting 27 women I'd never met before and leading them through midtown Sacramento was easy. Selecting one winner from all of their photos was not easy.

I mixed a bit of attraction, gut feeling, and nitpicking together to find the one photo we would call the Sacramento winner.

I started by looking at all of the thumbnails, page by page.

I wanted to see what grabbed me. There were so many. I took an entire day to look through them. Made a few notes, slept on it and went back through the thumbnails again the next day. I found myself clicking on these each time.

photo by Rhonda Huvane

I loved the line Rhonda capture that draws your eye through the photo.

Sarah's photo just makes me smile. Such real emotion and movement and fun in one frame.

I wanted to choose something that screamed this is Marina and was technically sound. I had to stay true to my preferences as well -- not overly processed, real, with a bit of something to set it apart.

I clicked on each to see them as large as possible. That's when I got nitpicky. I looked for focus. I wanted sharpness. I needed it to be well exposed. I wanted a photo that in 20 years you'd still hang on the wall in your living room. I wanted body parts not chopped and framing to be just so.

My final decision came down to two feet. Two feet captured at an angle that scream personality. Two feet that capture a young woman's confidence in front of the camera. Two feet that are framed beautifully and give me a bit of room to play if I was to frame it. Just enough sass to say, this is Marina. I loved too, that it was completely different than most photos from the day. Cropped square. Framed nicely, as if a square crop is what Lisa had in mind the moment she clicked the shutter. Yes, it is processsed, but not overly. I'm a suck for a great black and white!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

After being in on this photo a day thing for a bit over two years, I've learned a little something.

The number of photos I take is often indicative of my mood. Today for example, two photos. That could mean I was really busy with work getting home to late for good light or it could mean I just didn't have the energy. Sapped. That is exactly how I feel. Tired. Ready for summer. Ready to have some of the corners of my life cleaned up a little bit. Anxious to make some big decisions and move forward.

Funny, how I can project all of my life musings onto my photography. I didn't pick up my camera and it began to feel like I didn't like photography. But it was just life that was a little stuck. When I did finally pick it up today, it was met with a 4 year old melt down over an unrelated issue. One of those two hour melt downs that we seem to be getting as he nears 5. I remember similar melt downs as we neared the year markers for him before. We can't be the only family that experiences those, can we?

I thought it was photography I was tired of, but really? I was just tired. So two photos, snapped with my phone.

I'll pick up my camera tomorrow. It will be there for me. And, who knows, it might be a 100 photo day. And then I'll need to analyze another angle of this project.

And there you have them. SOOC. Unedited. As is. Untouched. The real deal.

I'd like you to meet my friend Jen! She is a talented photographer who also happens to be the great home Bear came from! I loved spending time with her and her adorable family over spring break.

Jennifer is a talented photographer who was well on her way to being amazing before we met. I hope you enjoy her photos as much as I do. Notice her smile? Completely genuine.

What sparked your interest in photography?Well, that started around my 9th birthday party when I was given my first camera. I went through a lot of film back then. Then I took a black and white photography class in college as an elective… I was hooked. When my kids came it became an obsession. Unfortunate events lead me to consider photography as a profession. I am so glad that a road was presented that I may not have considered otherwise.

What camera do you use?

I have a Canon 50D and a 40D as my backup. I long for a full frame sensor so I hope that is a purchase that I will be able to make in the near future.

I love downloading my files and finding something unexpected. I also love having the ability to create a completely different mood just by changing the perspective or lighting.

What have you learned that helped your photography the most?

I think becoming comfortable with my camera and its settings was key. The creative side of photography I love, but the technical side I had to learn to love. Understanding the relationship between Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO changed my photography completely.

What are your photography goals for 2010?

I really want the use of my camera to become second nature. I still get nervous before a shoot and I doubt myself all the time. So, I just intend on practicing like crazy.

You can see more of Jennifer's great photography on her blog. Make sure you stop by to see her adorable family!